Discussion Board Response

I need a respond to the two discussion question below It need to be separate respond to both of them. I will paste them below in bold . You must cite the references you use.

1. Describe at least three ways that factors in the external environment can influence employee behavior. If you were an HRD professional involved with an action team that was charged with evaluating the likely success of a proposed downsizing of your organization, what factors would you want to consider in making this recommendation? That is, based on what you know of HRD to this point, how can HRD professionals impact the likely success or failure of this action?

Organizations perform among an external work environment that influences employee behavior. The external environment consists of all entities that interact with the organization. Factors such as the state of the economy, governmental laws, regulations, regulatory agencies, and outside companies that are competing for global and technological advances will influence employee work performance (Werner, 2017). Recognizing and understanding the external environment helps Human Resource Development (HRD) proactively seek opportunities and minimize threats.

With this external environment are additional factors within the work environment which influence employee behavior. The four sets of factors that affect behavior within the organization are outcomes, supervisors, organizational culture, and coworkers (Werner, 2017). Outcomes are what Human Resource Development and organizations aim to achieve through the efforts of employees. They can result in personal outcomes which have value to the individual, or organizational outcomes which value teamwork, productivity and product quality (Werner, 2017). Outcome perceptions play an important role in how employees choose which collaborative task to attempt. Motivation theories suggest employee perceptions of outcomes are the impetus of performance.

Organization competition will comprise of related industries with similar products or services, geographical locations, and markets (Gupta 2009). It is vital for the sustainability of organizations to know their competition, talent pool, competitive advantages, marketing strategies, and developmental objectives. With a global economy, companies must watch for international businesses that produce products abroad, and the startup of new entrepreneurs. Technological advances required for production are competitive tools used in operations. The advances of the internet, social networking, and communications demand organizations to detect and predict environmental changes. Controlling cost is no longer the primary driver for the external workforce, but instead identifying, developing or improving products and services, and increasing speed to market are motivating factors (Plus Company Updates, 2018).

Organizations must abide by governmental laws, regulations, and codes of conduct that consistently add or change political or social initiatives. Changes in employment legislation can increase expenses affecting employee pay. Trade tariffs on goods and services determine geographical operations impacting employee productivity. Compliance will depend on the scope to which such factors embed within the culture of the organization and the geographic location of the business. Corporate culture has a significant impact on the effectiveness of compliance, since it contributes to the shaping of incentives and constraints in an organization and thereby drives behavior (Jingyuan, & Marquis,2018). The cultural background shapes part of the circumstances in which the establishment of a compliance system materializes.

Economic conditions are an external environmental factor that can influence employee behavior. Organizations must prepare to respond to evolving trends. There is a clear correlation between the development of HR interventions and the rise and fall of a country’s gross domestic product, with research finding that economic cycles have the most significant impact on the success of projects in HRD (Morris, 2018). Unstable markets and global networks are creating a more dynamic market environment which calls for considerably greater on-demand flexibility in resource deployment (Bauer, Hammerie, Schlund, & Vocke, 2015). The heightened global interconnectedness of organizations is a crucial element used to evaluate performance and productivity. Indicators such as the number of workdays lost to illness, staff turnover rates, and age distribution can provide clues to working conditions, employee satisfaction, and employee commitment.

Downsizing is a strategy organization’s use to reduce the employee workforce to improve the company’s financial status. HRD plays a critical role in downsizing, which involves strategic goals and legal compliance (Champion, Gueerrero, & Posthuma, 2011). Components of reduction will include determining how many employees will be laid off, how much advance notification is allowed, what support services offered, and who will provide the information. Practices should minimize the negative impact on employees terminated and those continuing to work while avoiding problematic legalities resulting from downsizing. Once a new organizational structure is approved, HRD must conduct training for current employees to acquire additional knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to support the change initiatives. A significant factor that contributes to the failure of most organizations to achieve their corporate objectives after downsizing is, they do not adequately address the employee factor throughout the process as it relates to the surviving employees and the adverse effects (Labib, & Appelbaum, 1993).

Recommendations to consider when evaluating the success of a proposed downsizing of an organization involves identifying the business need, communicating with employees, identifying future work needs for jobs and task to be performed, future KSAs requirements, employee & job-related criteria, fair evaluation procedures, analyze adverse impact, evaluate process & outcomes and ensure an informed HRD staff (Werner, 2017). Leading scholar, Warner Burke, argues that HRD professionals should play an active role in challenging or redirecting corporate downsizing efforts (Werner, 2017). The most effective HRD professional will impact the likely success or failure of downsizing by placing prominence to stakeholders regarding the importance of both organizational and individual performance for the sustainability of the organization as a whole.

2. Explain the role that trainability plays in the effectiveness of an HRD program or intervention. Briefly describe the options available to assess the trainability of employees.

Trainability determines the employee’s readiness to learn and to combine their abilities and motivation with their perceptions of the work environment (Werner, 2017). If an employee lacks motivation and the ability to learn, then knowledge and skills are not gain. HRD plays a vital role in creating programs that motivate employees to participate in to enhance work productivity for an organization. Placing employees in programs they are not motivated to attend or not prepared for is a wasteful use of resources and time management (Werner, 2017).

Evaluating an employee’s potential, preparedness, motivation, and personality before committing them to a training program can prove to be beneficial in determining if learning will transpire. Training assessment is an ongoing process of gathering data to determine what training needs exist so that training can be developed to help the organization accomplish its objectives (Brown, 2002). There are various practices to assess the trainability of employers. When executed correctly, HRD will contribute substantial value to the organization and its goals. All HRD strategies and activities should align with the organization’s goals and objectives for maximum efficiency. Failure to evaluate trainability of employees runs the risk of excess of training not necessary, too little training in an area, or missing relevant material altogether.

Six issues that relate to practice and learning include active practice, massed versus spaced sessions, whole versus partial education, overlearning, knowledge of results, and task sequencing (Werner, 2017). These various methods offer HRD an opportunity to assess employee’s trainability through repeatedly performing a task, teaching through one session or dividing it up over time, and obtaining objective feedback. The goal is to guarantee employees conduct their jobs most efficiently to enhance work performance.

References

Bauer, W., Hammerie, M., Schlund, S., & Vocke, C. (2015, October 23). Transforming to a Hyper-connected Society and Economy – Towards an “Industry 4.0”. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.troy.edu/science/article/pii/S2351978915002012?via=ihub (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Brown, J. (2002). Training Needs Assessment: A Must for Developing an Effective Training Program. Public Personnel Management, 31(4), 569–578. https://doi.org/10.1177/009102600203100412 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Champion, M. A., Gueerrero, L., & Posthuma, R. (2011). Reasonable human resource practices for making employee downsizing decisions. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.troy.edu/science/article/pii/S0090261611000337?via=ihub (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Gupta, A. (2009, December 20). Organization’s External Environment. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from http://www.practical-management.com/Organization-Development/Organization-s-External-Environment.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Jingyuan, Ma, & Marquis, M. (2018). Corporate Culture and Competition Compliance in East Asia. South Carolina Journal of International Law & Business, 15(1), 1-98. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=9h&AN=136431987&site=eds-live (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Labib, N., & Appelbaum, S. H. (1993). Strategic Downsizing: A Human Resources Perspective. Human Resource Planning, 16(4), 69-93. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=9503063129&site=eds-live (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Morris, A. (2018). Increasing the strategic role of HR: the importance of macro-economic conditions. Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 26 Issue: 2. Retrieved June 4, 2019, from https://www-emeraldinsight-com.libproxy.troy.edu/doi/full/10.1108/HRMID-03-2017-0056 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Two Out of Three of Executives Say They Need the External Workforce to Operate at Full Capacity and Meet Market Demands, Survey Finds. (2018, May 9). Plus Company Updates. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.libproxy.troy.edu/apps/doc/A537846979/ITOF?u=troy25957&sid=ITOF&xid=5f80f48a (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Werner, J.M. (2017). Human Resource Development: Talent Development (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.